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Prelims for self-published books

When you open a book, you'll find that there are a whole series of pages before the book proper begins. These preliminary pages
are called "prelims", or "front matter".

The prelims required for self-published books are exactly the same as those
required for traditionally published books. The only difference is that while a
publisher will create and arrange these pages for a traditionally published
author, the self-published author must create them for themselves.

Your prelims will normally have a separate page numbering system to the rest
of your book, and will normally be numbered with lower case roman numerals (i,
ii, iii, iv, etc.). This is because prelims are normally prepared after the rest
of the book is finalised, as they include things like tables of contents, which
cannot be created until the page numbers throughout the book are fixed. Because
the page numbers must have already been fixed, you can't allow the prelim pages
to alter the pagination for the rest of the book, as this would change all the
page numbering. That's why prelims have to have a separate page numbering
system. This means that you can insert as many prelim pages as you want without
changing the fact that the book proper will still start on page 1.

Half title page

Your first page will be your half title page, also known as the "bastard
title". This will be a recto (right-hand page) and will ostensibly be page i,
though the page number is usually not printed on it.

The half title page should consist only of the book's title, in a typeface
consistent with the book's cover or interior design, which is normally centred
and positioned somewhat lower than the top trim. How far to drop the title from
the top trim is a matter of preference, and may depend on the length of the
title and the size of the typeface (i.e. how much space it takes up on the
page), but between a fifth and sixth of the way down the page from the top trim
is a good guide.

Frontispiece

Page ii (the reverse of the half title) is normally blank, but can be
decorated with a relevant image, which is referred to as the "frontispiece".

Title page

Page iii will normally be your title page. This should include:

the title;

subtitle, if any;

name(s) of the author(s) / editor(s);

publisher name and / or logo (sometimes referred to as the colophon).

Optionally, it may also include:

publisher's location;

year of publication;

descriptive text;

illustration.

As with the half title page, the page number is often not printed on the page
itself.

Copyright page

Page iv (the reverse of the title page) will normally be the copyright page.
The text on this page is sometimes set two or three points smaller than the main
text of the book to ensure that all the informaiton fits on one page. The
copyright page should include the following information:

publisher details;

ISBN number;

copyright notice;

cataloging data;

edition information (if any);

any legal notices / disclaimers required.

It may also optionally include credits for editing, design, production,
illustration, etc.

As with the other pages already covered, this page often does not carry a
page number. The first page that is actually numbered is often page v.

Dedication

If you're including a dedication then you would normally include it on page
v, after the copyright page. It's normally set the same size as the main text in
the book, but centred. Sometimes it is set in italics.

Epigraph

An epigraph is a short quotation used at the start of the book, or at chapter
heads, or both. When used at the start of a book it may appear on a recto on its
own page at this point, or can sometimes appear on versos facing the table of
contents or the first page of text.

Tables

Tables are navigational tools that list out elements within a book, along
with the page number where you can find them. The number and type of tables you
include will vary depending on the type of book you are publishing. For a book
of fiction or poetry you may only want a table of contents. For a nonfiction
book it might be useful to include tables of diagrams, charts, etc.

Acknowledgments

The acknowledgement page, if you choose to include one, is a place for the
author to thank particular individuals – usually those who have helped in
the writing and/or production of the book.

Foreword

A foreword can be written by the author, but is often written by someone else –
particularly if somebody well known can be persuaded to provide it! In these
situations you will often see the phrase "with a foreword by..." used on the
front cover.

Preface

Unlike the foreword, a preface is generally written by the author, and falls
outside the scope of the book's argument or story. It is a space where the
author can speak directly to the reader about their motivation in writing the
book; their inspiration and intention, etc.

Introduction

An introduction is normally a feature of a nonfiction book. The introduction, like the preface, is written by the author –
but whereas the preface talks about the book, the introduction forms
a part of the book. It may lay out or summarise the arguments to be
covered, or introduce the main concepts or subject matter of hte book. For this
reason it may also be placed at the start of the book, beginning on page "1",
rather than in the prelims.

Prologue

A prologue is the fiction equivalent of an introduction. It is the start of
the work of fiction and sets the scene for the coming story. Unlike the preface,
which is written in the voice of the author themselves, the prologue is written
in the narrative voice, like the rest of the story. A prologue should not
include statements like "I wrote this book because..."!

Repeated half title page

Once the prelims are finished some book designers will repeat the half title
page. This is particularly the case when prelims are long, though the page can
often be cut if page extent needs to be reduced. The reverse of the page can
contain an illustration, or an epigraph, but is usually blank.